Some questions...

I've seen threads that state that Sandy Bridge is going to make an enormous difference, and others that say that the difference isn't going to be that major in a laptop. I'm sure the truth lies somewhere in the middle - can someone provide an easily understood explanation for those of us who are not techno pros?

Next, when I do get my new MacBook Pro (I'm currently running a 2008 model), whether I wait for Sandy Bridge or not, I want to remove the optical drive and use a SSD as my main drive, with my current 500GB HDD for my files and storage. Are the SSDs that are available now on the MBP good quality for the money, or would I be better off investing in a separate SSD and buying a new Mac with a regular HDD?

Appreciate the reply. So for the things I use my computer for (your standard email, web, light gaming, maintaining a large database - I run a greyhound rescue group, website design, publishing, photo editing, etc.) I'm not looking at a major difference.

Last question - I run Windows 7 on my MBP. I can either partition the SSD (main disk) and run it there, or put it on the HDD, correct? If I put it on the SSD, I'll still be able to save files, etc. on the HDD while in Windows?

1. No (short answer) - Current i5/i7 chips used were a huge stepup in peformance. It moved 64 bit OS forward, hyperthreading, memory bandwidth, virtualisation is improved greatly.

SB will imrove 3d modelling, video processing, rendering a bit but it's still keeping it's 32nm, overclocking limited, no great peformance enhancement. If you want to wait for something worth waiting for then 'Ivy Bridge' is the next big revamp.

2. No real point in an external SSD running with an internal 7200RPM HDD, your read/write speeds will be limited by FW, and HDD peformance. internal SSD is a nice option but, even with an internal SSD and external SSD on a laptop your not going to get the same speeds as a desktop with PCI express cables.

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